Reece wants to be “Raider for life”

Fullback Marcel Reece talked to reporters today and while he dodged some questions pretty good, he made clear he will do whatever the coaches ask him. And that he has an ally in new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.

Reece was hoping to get a long-term deal — “I want to be a Raider for life,” he said — but finally signed a $540,000 exclusive rights tender that the team gave him in March. While he missed a voluntary minicamp and two weeks of organized team activities, Reece is familiar with Knapp as he was here when Reece was first signed in 2008.

“I consider myself a pretty sharp guy and catch on pretty quick,” Reece said. “Some of the terminology is different. Just getting back into playing football. It takes a couple of days to get your feet back under you but football is football.”

Reece then called Knapp “one of my big supporters” when he came into camp in 2008 as an undrafted former wide receiver.

Last season, Reece had 27 catches for 301 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 17 carries for 112 yards. And there would appear to be a lot more carries to be had this year, with inside runner Michael Bush and his 256 attempts last year now residing in Chicago.

So I asked Reece if he wanted some of those carries.

“First of all I love Mike Bush,” Reece said. “If this team needs me to do that I’m more than willing and would love to. If this team doesn’t need me to do that then I won’t. I’m down for whatever this team wants me to do, Coach Knapper asks me to do, Coach Allen asks me to do, Coach Skip. Whatever they want me to do I’m willing to do it and be the best I can be at it.”

I asked Reece again, so do you want some of those carries.

“Every person that is on offense wants to contribute the best way possible,” he said. “Everyone knows I love the ball in my hands. If the opportunity comes about, I will definitely relish that opportunity and make the best out of it.”

New coach Dennis Allen said Reece has only been here three days and he will have to evaluate him to see if he could potentially carry the ball more often.

“He’s an athletic type of fullback,” Allen said. “Where he really excels is in the passing game and the different mismatches that he can create. From our standpoint, as far as being the lead blocker in our scheme, that’s where he’s got the most work that he’s got to work on. But his mismatches in the passing game will be something that we could use.”

Reece sat out last month’s voluntary workouts even though he had no leverage in getting a long-term deal. After talking to Darren McFadden and Carson Palmer often on the phone, Reece decided to come back “home” this week.

“As far as the whole contract thing goes what happens is going to happen,” Reece said. ”What’s important now is that I’m here. Everyone that was involved in this situation, we’re all men of integrity, we all know what the deal was, what was going on and why it was going on and everything has always been positive between myself, Dennis Allen, Reggie, and my agent Joel Segal.

“To be honest with you the most important thing is I’m here now and I’m here to stay. Everybody knows once I get on the field I’m just a hard-working playmaker.”